Balentien to join Japanese team for spring training

TOKYO (AP) — The Yakult Swallows say Wladimir Balentien will join the team for the first day of spring training, having pleaded not guilty to domestic violence charges in Florida.

Club president Tsuyoshi Kinugasa said Saturday that Balentien will join the team on Feb. 1 to begin preparations for the 2014 season.

Police say Balentien pulled out screens at his estranged wife’s Miami-area home and climbed through a window. He is accused of grabbing his wife’s arm as she ran upstairs, following her into a bedroom and locking the door.

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The Curacao-born Balentien was freed on bail following his Jan. 13 arrest in Miami.

Balentien hit 60 homers last year, breaking Japanese baseball’s single-season record of 55. He previously played in MLB for the Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners.